Piang-playeb



C. E. PETERSON.

PIANO PLAYER,

M V APPUCATIOH FILED MAY 5,191I- 0 55195365. Patented Aug. 22, 1910.

3 SHEETSSHEET I C. E. PETERSON PIANO PLAYER.

[\PPHCATION FILED MAY 5, 19!].

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Yatented A11": 22, 1916.

I294 I I.

C. E. PETERSON.

PIANO PLAYER.

APPLICAHON FILED MAY 5.1911. 3 95,265 Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

M ii. fivenfor fi z 3 7265565. [12am EPeiersoz a.

g mforney NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GLAUS E. PETERSON, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

PIANO-PLAYER.

Specification. of Letters Patent. Patented Aug. 22, 1916- hpplieation filed May 5, 1911. 'Serial No. 625,182.'

' .2 '9 e5 5 automit may concern:

- 1" shown that I, Cums E. Pn'rnn'son', a 'l of United States, residing at in the county of lVorcester and wealth of. Massachusetts, have in- Jud * Cell rring tothe accompanying drawings, e 1 is a front-view showing portions riechanism. Fig. 2 is a front view of a Q the pneumatic'action on larger .iy shown in section. Fig. is a Fig. 4: is a vertical sectional view a r e pl 5 a front View of a-portion of the pneumatic mechanism. Fig. 6 is a sectional on t e plane of the broken line 66, 7 is a central vertical sectional e if expression boxes. Fig. 8 vertial sectional view of the same on plane of t broken line 8 8, Fig. '7. 9 is ver r al sectional View through try c pression box. Fig. 10 is a tion' view of the regulating b 1 is detached sectional View of y pn.eumatic.v Fig. 12 is aper- New oi? the valve seat and cage for ondary valve. lair retere ce characters refer to simiarts in the different figures.

to the. drawings, 1 denotes a the casing of a piano, comprising l board by which the key board is s and a dust board 3. The tracker represented. in Fig. l for the pun shbwing its relation to the other the pi; -0 and to the player 1nechaa new and useful Improvement in onstructien and increase the elii- I d and set forth in the annexed claims.

oi a'piano and of my improved playerans o' the broken line 4-4, Fig.

several ducts of the tracker" bar being connected in the usual mannenwith the primary pneuma-tics by means of rubber tubes, three of which are shown at 6, Fig. 1. I

It will be understood that the usual means of supporting and moving a perforated roll across the ducts of the tracker bar are to be employed, and that exhaust means -for removing the" air from the pneumatic mechanism and actuated by pedals 7, 7 are to be employed in connection with my music roll actuating means, but as these parts are in common use and familiar to those conversant with this class of mechanisms, they have been omitted from th drawings and description.

By means of the pedals haust bellows or feeders operated thereby, air is exhausted from a wind chest 8 connected by suitable passages with the wind trunks 9, and 11, placed, in'the present instance, for convenience of illustration be- 7- and suitable ex-- I neath the key bed of the piano, but adapted I to be located in any desired part of the piano casing, such, for example, as the space immediately behind the fall board 2 and above the keys. Each of the wind trunks 9, 10 and 11 containstwo longitudinal chamhers 12 and 13, Fig.4. The trunks are constructed of two parallel horizontal sheet metal plates, one forming a bottom ltand the other forming a top'15 for the chambers 12 and 13. The bhttom and top 14 and '15 are spaced by three longitudinal bars 16, 17 and 18, to which the top and bottom are at. tached by screws. The top plate 15 extends over the bar 18- and is attached by screws v to the internal flanges 19 of a series of ferrules :20 each having at its bottom end an exterior flange 21, which is attached by screws to the upper or stationary leaf 22 of a. motor bellows 23 provided with a hinged or movable leafQhto the end of which I con nect a striker rod 25, suitably connected in a manner common to instruments of this class to the tone producing mechanism of the piano.

Each of the motor bellowsv 23 communicates with the chamber 13 by a valve 0on trolled air passage which extends through an. opening 26, ferrule 20, opening 27,- channel 28 and an opening 29 which is normally closed by a valve 30. The channel 28 is in- I closed in a cover Siattached to the top plate 15 and is provided with an opening 32 to'tlie tric flange d7 inclosing a disk 48.

outside air. The valve 30 normally rests upon a valve seat 33 which. is inserted in the side or the plate 15. integral with the valve seat 33 and extending upwardly into the air channel 28 are the upturned spurs 3 which form a cage for the valve 30.- The valve 30 is provided with a valve stem 35 which eX- tends downwardly through an opening 36 in the bottom plate 14L- in close proximity to a washer 37 carried upon a flexible diaphragm or pneumatic 38, having its edges clamped between the bottom plate 14: and the flanged edge of a cup 39. The space between the cup 39 and pneumatic 38 forms an air chamber :0, connected with the chamber 41 by tubes as and 43 united by a coupling l-l. The chamber 421 is inclosed in an inverted cup 45, having a radial flange 43 from the edge of which depends a concen- The top of the inverted cup 45 is provided with an opening 49 in alinement with a similar opening 50 in the disk l8. opening l9 communicates with the outside air and is normally closed by a valve 51.. The openin g- 50 communicates, through an enlarged opening in the top plate 15', with the longitudinal chamber 12. The opening 50 is controlled by a valve 53 connected with the valve 51. by a valve stem 54, which extends downwardly through an opening 55 into the bottom plate 14% in close proximity to a washer 56 carried upon a flexible diaphragm or pneumatic 57, having its edges clamped between the bottom plate 14 and the flanged edge of a cup 53. The space between the cup 58 and the diaphragm 57 forms an air chamber 59., connected through the tube ('50 with one of the ducts 5 in the tracker bar 4: by means of one of the rubber tubes 6.

Each of the longitudinal chambers 12 is connected with a vertical chamber 61, and each of the longitudinal chambers 13 is connected witha separate vertical chamber 62' The chamber 6].. is connected by a pipe 63 with a regulating bOX 6d, shown in sectional view inl ig. 10, the regulating box 64 is connected with the wind chest by a pipe 65. Between. the pipes 63 and and inclosed in the regulating box 64: is a valve controlled passage 66, Fig. 10. The action of a valve (37 closing" said passage is controlled by a. bellows (38 normally held expanded by the tension of a spring 69. Nhen the air tension in the chamber 1 and connected chamber in. the regulating box 64: becomes greater than the tension of the spring (39 the bellows (l8 collapses and closes the passage 66. By this means a uniform air tension is maintained throughout the longitudinal chambers 12, thereby causing all the primary valves which are, actuated by the pneumatics 57 to be operated under an air ten- The , menace sion which is not only uniform but is limited in amount by the tension of the spring 69.

The vertical chamber 62 which has a communication with each of the longitudinal chambers 13 is connected by a pipe 71 with a regulating box 7 2, shown in sectional view in Figs. 7 and 3, the section shown in Fig. 8 being on a plane at right angles to that shown in Fig. 7. The regulating box 72 is'connected by a pipe 73 with the wind chest 8, and between the pipes 71 and 73 is a valve controlled air passage 7% arranged to be closed by a valve 75, having its valve stem 76 connected by a link 77 with a bell crank lever 78. The longitudinal clnrmbers 13 are connected at their opposite ends with avertical chamber 7 9 connected by a pipe 80 with a valve cut oil box 81, shown in sectional view in Fig. 9, and communicating through an opening 32 with the wind chest 3, Between the opening 82 and the pipe 80 is a valve controlled passage closed by a cut-oil valve S t. llhe valve 84 is connected by a stem 85 with a bell crank lever 86. The bell crank levers 73 and 86 are coupled together by the links 87 and S8 and a two armed lever 89, provided with a handle 90 by which the valves 7 5 and 84. may be moved in unison. The valve 84 is considerably longer than the air passage 83 to allow conopens in advance of the opening of the valve 84. When'the valves -75 and 8 are closed the valve 34 closes inedvance oi" the closing of the valve 75.

By the above described arrangement of the connection between the valves 7 and B l the air passage 7d may be Varied in extent in order to vary the air tension in the longitudinal chambers 13 without opening the valve 84. When the valve 75 is nearly opened the valve 84. begins to open, that the continued movement of the valves 75 and 34 will then increase the openings in both passz-iges 7 1: and 83 and rapidly increaseIthe air tension in the longitudinal chambers 13, thereby enabling, an explosive note to be sounded.

1 claim: v

1. In a piano player, a horizontal wind trunk, consisting of lltmgitudinal bars and plates attached said bars inclosing scra rate vacuum chambers, means for exhausting the air from said chambers, and two inde pendcnt means of communication between one of said vacuum chambers and saidair exhausting means.

2. In a piano player, a series of horizontal wind trunks consisting of longitudinal bars and plates attached to said bars inclosing wind trun s each consisting of longitudinal bars and plates attached to said bars inclosing two separate vacuum chambers, a vertical chamber communicating with one end of one of said chambers in each of said trunks, a vertical chamber communicating with the opposite ends of said vacuum chambers, means for exhausting the air from said vertical chambers and independent valve controlled passages connecting said vertical chambers with said exhausting means.

4. In a piano player, a wind trunk con taining a vacuum chamber, a series of motor bellows having valve controlled communication with said vacuum chamber,-means for exhausting air from said vacuum chamber, and independent, valve controlled passages between the opposite ends of said vacuum chamber andsaid air exhausting mechanism.

5. In a piano 'player,'a horizontal longitudinal vacuum chamber having an opening in its upper wall, an inverted cup having a flanged edge, a disk fitting in and held by said flanged edge covering said opening and forming a valve seat, an opening in said inverted cup leading to the outer air and having a valve seat, valves for said valve seats having a common valve stem, and means for actuating said valve stem to alternately open and close said valves.

6. In a piano player, a horizontal longitudinal casing inclosing a vacuum chamber, said casing consisting of parallel spacing bars and metal plates attached thereto to form the bottom and top of said chamber, with said top plate overhanging said casing, a ferrule attached to the overhanging edge of said top plate, a motor bellows attached to said ferrule, and a valve controlled communication through the ferrule between said bellows and said vacuum chamber.

7 In a piano player, primary and secondary pneumatics, a casing inclosing longitudinal chambers for the primary and secondary pneumatic, a -motor bellows placed beneath said casing and transversely thereto, a ferrule connecting one end of said motor bellows with said casing, and an air passage passing through said ferrule and connecting said motor bellows and said vacuum'chamber.

8. In a piano player, a casing inclosing a vacuum chamber, a valve opening in the wall of said chamber, a valve covering said opening, and spaced guides surrounding the valve to maintain it in proper position relatively to said opening.

9. In a piano player, a casing consisting of spacing bars and top and bottom plates inclosing longitudinal parallel vacuum chambers, a series of primary neumatics connected with one of said vacuum chambers, means for maintaining a uniform vacuum in said chamber, a series of secondary Pneumatics connected with the other of closed by said valve, means for actuating said v'alve to alternately open and close saio openings, a motor bellows supported di rectly beneath said vacuum chamber, and a passage between said motor bellows to the chamber inclosed by said valve 11. In a piano player, a longitudinal.

' vacuum chamber, means for exhausting air therefrom, independent passages for connecting the opposite ends of said chamber with the air exhausting mechanism, valves for controlling the movement of air "through each of said passages, and means for operating said valves at different rates of speed,

12. In a piano, player, a longitudinai vacuum chamber, means for exhausting air therefrom, independent passages for conmeeting the opposite ends of said chamber with said air exhausting mechanism, valves for controllin the flow of air through'said passages, an means for operating said valves, whereby one of said passages will bev opened in advance of the other.

Dated this fourth day of May, 1911.

GLAUS E. PETER-SON.

W'itnesses:

PENELOPE COMBERBAGH, HENRY Woon FOWLER.

said vacuum chambers, and means for vary-- 

